Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [148]
The closest town to the refuge is Miramar, a historic gold-mining town about 8km northeast of the Interamericana. In town you can visit Las Minas de Montes de Oro (guided tour US$79), an old, abandoned gold mine that dates back to 1815. The tour is coupled with horseback riding and a guided hike to a waterfall. The mine is administered by Finca Daniel Adventure Park (2639-9900; www.finca-daniel.com; 2hr horseback-riding tour $45, waterfall canopy tour $89), which has the usual assortment of pricey tours. The onsite lodge, Hotel Vista Golfo (s/d/tr standard US$64/67/82, with view US$75/78/94; ), is a pleasant hotel with a tranquil, mountain setting that’s perfect for getting a little fresh air. Rustic rooms have private hot-water bathroom, and some have sweeping views of the Golfo de Nicoya. There’s also a shady pool and a good restaurant. A much more personal option is the German-run Finca El Mirador B&B (2639-8774; www.finca-mirador.com; d US$35-60; ), which has three adorable bungalows, each equipped with full kitchen – perfect for self-caterers.
In the small town of Zapotal, 18km northeast of Miramar, is the Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes (2437-9906; resbiol@cariari.ucr.ac.cr), a cloud-forest reserve administrated by the University of Costa Rica. The park is famous among bird-watchers for its quetzal population, and travelers usually arrive here on a private tour.
Although there are infrequent buses connecting Miramar to San José and Puntarenas, this is a difficult area to travel in without your own car. Also, be advised that the roads here are frequently washed out during the rainy season, so a 4WD is highly recommended.
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COSTA DE PáJAROS
The 40km stretch of road between Punta Morales in the south and Manzanillo in the north is famous for its mangrove-lined shores, which attract countless varieties of birds (and bird-watchers). The most famous sight in the area is Isla Pájaros (Bird Island), which lies less than 1km off the coast at Punta Morales. There are no facilities on the 3.8-hectare islet, which protects a rare colony of brown pelicans. It also acts as a refuge for various seabirds, and the island is a virtual forest of wild guava trees. Aside from becoming an ornithologist, you can visit the island on an organized tour (from US$30), which can be arranged at La Ensenada Lodge.
Popular among the bird-watching population, La Ensenada Lodge (2289-6655; www.laensenada.net; s/d/tr/q US$44/56/72/76; ) is a 380-hectare finca and working cattle ranch, salt farm and papaya orchard. Comfortable villas, which face out onto the Golfo de Nicoya, have private bathroom heated by solar panels and private patio with hammocks – perfect for watching sunsets (or birds). There’s also a pool, restaurant and tennis courts, and you can help out with reforestation projects or on the farm.
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JUNTAS
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Las Juntas de Abangares (its full name) is a small town on the Río Abangares that was once the center of the gold-mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Juntas was once the premier destination in Costa Rica for fortune seekers and entrepreneurs from all over the world, who wanted a part of mine-owner Minor Keith’s other golden opportunity. Today, it’s simply a pleasant mountain town full of ranchers and farmers.
With the gold boom over, Juntas is trying to reel in travelers by flaunting its ecomuseum and a recently constructed hot-springs resort. Most travelers aren’t making special detours here on their way to or from Monteverde, but Juntas makes for a pleasant enough stop if you’ve got your own wheels. If it’s starting to get dark, it’s a good place to spend the night rather than misguidedly attempting the muddy slip-and-slide commonly known as the road to Monteverde.
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Orientation & Information
The town of Juntas is centered on the Catholic church, which has some very nice stained glass, and the small but bustling downtown is about 300m north of